Former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, on Tuesday met with the Kano State Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Hussaini Mairiga, in a bid to resolve the lingering crisis within the party in the state.
Mairiga confirmed the meeting in an interview with Punch, saying it involved key stakeholders at the state level.
He said the meeting was aimed at addressing disagreements over the party’s structure and leadership in Kano following Kwankwaso’s defection to the NDC.
After the meeting, Mairiga announced that the crisis had been resolved and declared support for Kwankwaso’s leadership.
He said, “We had a fruitful discussion with Sen. Kwankwaso and other critical stakeholders of our great party. All lingering issues have been amicably resolved in the interest of unity and progress.
“As a party, we have agreed to move forward together, and we recognise Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as our leader in Kano State.”
He urged party members to remain united and work for the growth of the NDC in the state.
“I call on all our members to remain steadfast and work collectively for the growth of the party. This resolution marks a new beginning for the NDC in Kano,” he said.
Defection Sparked Tension
The development followed tensions within the Kano chapter of the NDC after Kwankwaso defected to the party alongside former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi.
The move had raised concerns over control of the party structure in Kano.
The crisis deepened after Mairiga reportedly resisted efforts to cede the party’s leadership to the former governor, insisting that the existing executives would not surrender control.
He had earlier disclosed that efforts to integrate Kwankwaso into the party initially stalled due to disagreements over leadership arrangements.
Both sides were said to have held separate meetings that failed to produce a consensus.
The situation worsened amid claims that the party’s planned state congress had been suspended, fuelling suspicion among some members over alleged attempts to restructure the party leadership in Kano.
